Jonathan Krell

Chef Jonathan Krell is a Philadelphia native who now calls Oklahoma home. His background was not at first the culinary arts but in audio engineering. Having toured for six years with national acts here and abroad, he was exposed to many food cultures. Food has always been a large part of his upbringing. His mother Maryann exposed him to various foods from sushi to true Jewish fare, and his grandfather F.W. Krell, a 30 year Marine captain, made very comforting hearty food.

After his time on the road he devoted his time to becoming a chef, staging for some of center city’s best chefs. Honing his fundamentals before moving to Oklahoma to join his brother Gerry to help grow the culinary scene in OKC. One of Jonathan’s first contacts and friends was Robert Painter, since then the two have collaborated on many projects but their newest is Patrono. Chef Jonathan’s approach to Patrono is not to specialize in one region of Italy but to expose the guests to Italian ingredients and techniques in conventional, and often unconventional ways. He believes a dining experience should be like a good story with a beginning, middle and end, all to enhance the pleasure of another through food.